Warriors: Frost Moons
by LeafstormWolf
Summary: The longest, coldest leaf-bare in clan history has hit at full force. The clans around the lake are desperate for prey and tempers are short. Battles that should have never been have fought have taken cats' lives. In the middle of this, two cats from different meet up and a litter of half-clan kits are born. What happens when some other cats find out?
1. Clan Allegiances

**Clan Allegiances**

**Windclan:**

**Leader: **Dawnstar

**Deputy: **Stonedust Apprentice: Breezepaw

**Medicine Cat: **Clovertail

**Warriors: **

Mothflight

Heatherfur

Crowtalon

Barkfang

Specklecloud

Moortail

Kestrelear

Owlclaw

**Queens:**

Creeksong

Springcloud

**Kits:**

Cinderkit (No. This is not Cinderpelt/Cinderheart.)

Hawkkit

Dapplekit

**Elders: **

Crowwing

Heartherclaw

**Thunderclan:**

**Leader: **Squirrelstar

**Deputy: **Thrushfur

**Medicine Cat: **Mosspool Apprentice: Leafpaw

**Warriors:**

Sparrowfeather

Oakclaw

Spottedpelt

Snowstorm Apprentice:Ashpaw

Icewhisker

Briartail Apprentice: Volepaw

Shrewtooth

Lightningtail (She was a queen in the introduction, but she is actually a warrior)

**Queens: **

Ivyfur

Mosspelt

**Kits:**

Hollykit

Maplekit

**Elders: **

Acornfur

Tawnytail

Mouseclaw

**Riverclan**

**Leader:** Shimmerstar

**Deputy:** Pebblestream

**Medicine Cat: **Lilypool

**Warriors: **

Riverstone

Troutfin

Lakeshine Apprentice: Carppaw

Stormclaw

Splashfoot Apprentice: Creekpaw

Sunfur

Fishtail

**Queens: **

Willowcreek

Reedfoot

**Kits: **

Sedgekit

Ripplekit

**Shadowclan **

**Leader: ** Duskstar

**Deputy: ** Shadowpelt

**Medicine Cat: ** Moonshine

**Warriors: ** Darkfur

Shrewpelt

Marshstomp Apprentice: Cedarpaw

Russetpelt

Snaketail

Nettleclaw Apprentice: Nightpaw

Foxpelt

**Queens: **

Brackenfur

Shadetail

**Kits: **

Dawnkit

Pinekit

Graykit


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

The layers of snow glistened in the moonlight. Cold winds blow through the clan territories. All the clan cats were curled up in their nests; none of them suspected that a big chance was coming.

A yellow, long-furred, Thunderclan she-cat walked quickly through the snowy forest. She didn't run, fearing that she would knock the three shivering bundles off of her back.

"Can we go home please?" The tiny tortoise-shell she-kit asked desperately.

"I want our warm nest!" Another she kit, this one as gray as cinders shivered.

"I'm so hungry! I need milk!" The reddish-brown tom was the loudest out of the three. He yowled these words at the top of his small lungs.

"There is milk and a warm nest across the stream. There will be cats that will take care of you." The mother she-cat said, trying to calm her freezing, desperate kits. She prayed to Starclan that he would be there as promised.

"Will you stay with us when we get there?" The tortoise-shell she-kit asked, touching a subject that the ThunderClan queen wished she could have avoided.

The mother she-cat stopped at looked at the kits on her back. Their eyes were like tiny, full moons as they pleaded for the answer that was burning in their little hearts.

Her eyes and striped tail drooped. She wished that she could say yes to reassure them, but WindClan wouldn't let her join their clan. She couldn't lie to her kits.

"No, I can't. I can't come with you. As much as I want to, I can't. I'm sorry." The queen felt tears run down her face. The little kits squirmed on her back.

"Why can't you come with us?" "Where are we going?" "Who will take care of us?" The burst of questions the kits fired at her struck the queen in her heart.

"I'm sorry, my kits. There is nothing I can do. Your father should be here soon." The mother said as they reached the stream that marked the border of ThunderClan and WindClan.

"I thought that Sparrowfeather was our father." The gray kit said in confusion.

"My kits. I know that I told you that Sparrowfeather is your father, but he really isn't. I wanted to keep you safe by pretending he was. I have to bring you to your real father."

"Then… Who is our real father?" the red-brown tom asked.

At that moment, the stone-furred deputy of WindClan ran across the snowy moor. He ran toward the queen and her confused kits. When he got closer, he started speaking.

"So, these are our kits?" Stonedust used his tail to gesture at the small kits that got off of their mother's back.

"Yes. They are." The queen puffed out her fur proudly.

"They're beautiful, Lightningtail." Stonedust touched her flank.

"Who are you?" The reddish-brown tom asked.

"Hello, little kits. I am your father."


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Practical Jokes**

The slight sunlight of another frosty day shined into the snowy camp. Cold snow littered the ground.

Two kits were playing outside. One was a tortoise-shell she-kit and the other was a reddish-brown tom. They reached for snowflakes that fell from the sky. They jumped into snow drifts that formed around the camp. They always woke up very early to play. All the other clan members were fast asleep. Included their littermate.

A smaller, gray kit was curled up in a nest in the nursery. Her fur was fluffed up to block out the cold. She dreamed of running across the snowy moor, chasing after a white rabbit. She shivered as a breeze entered the nursery.

Her littermates approached the entrance of the nursery, the tom holding a piece of wet moss.

"Are you sure we should do this, Hawkkit? We'll get in trouble. And right before our apprentice ceremony! Isn't that important?" Dapplekit whispered to her brother.

Hawkkit put down his wet moss before answering. "You don't have to join me. You can go back to sleep and pretend that you are surprised when Cinderkit wakes up as wet as a fish. I'm still doing this." He said stubbornly.

Hawkkit walked up to his unexpected, sleeping littermate with the dripping piece of moss. He batted the moss so it would land on his sister's back. Sure enough, it landed right where it was aimed.

Cinerkit's eyes widened in complete surprise as the ice-cold moss water touched her back. Her fur took in the water immediately, making her shiver. Her wet fur went up, like a porcupine's spines along her back. Usually, when cats get their fur wet, it flattens. Not with Cinderkit.

Hawkit found every possible way to get his litter-mate wet after he found that out. Picking on Cinderkit became a tradition for him. Every single morning of her life, the gray kit woke up being as wet as a spiky fish.

Hawkkit started laughing and rolling on the snowy, cold ground. "The look on your face was priceless!" He said between his laughing. You think that just because our Apprentice Ceremony is today I would let you sleep in!? Oh, that is rich!"

Hawkkit's loud laughing woke up the whole clan. Dawnstar was the first to come out of her den. Stonedust came out soon after. In a few minutes, the whole clan was out in the middle of the camp, staring at the wet Cinderkit and Hawkkit, who had flecks of snow all over his pelt from rolling and laughing.

Cinderkit tried making herself as small as possible to try and escape her clan mates' stares. This is the part she disliked the most. She hated being stared at.

Breezepaw, who is currently WindClan's only apprentice, was almost laughing as hard as Hawkkit when he saw Cinderkit's spiky fur. He is the only cat that is so close at beating Hawkkit's record of the loudest cat in the clans. Which deserves a trophy.

Stardust walked up to his apprentice. "Breezepaw." He said in a warning tone.

Breezepaw stood up, shook his pelt, then he lowered his tail and head. "I'm sorry, Stone dust. But Cinderkit looks so funny!"

"I know she does, but that doesn't mean you get to be disrespectful to your clanmate. Especially when today, she will be joining you as an apprentice soon."

"Okay, Stonedust." Breezepaw walked away with his head low, but even from a distance, she could see the spark in his eyes at the mention of another denmate, or three.

Cinderkit was so embarrassed. The whole clan stared at her ridiculous, spiky fur. The eyes of her clanmates drilled into her like the tunnelers that the elders told stories about, digging through the dirt.

Dawnstar walked up to Hawkkit, who was still laughing his head off. "Hawkkit, -"

"I'll take care of him, Dawnstar. I'm his father. I need to try and put him in place." Stonedust said, walking up to his leader.

Dawnstar looked like she wanted to argue, then nodded.

Mothflight, one of the senior warriors, took care of the patrols while Stonedust took his son to the far end of the camp. The patrol cats went off to try their luck on the snowy moor.

When the clan's attention was drawn away from her, Cinderkit walked over to the sheltered pool next to the medicine cat den. She looked at the strange, spiky furred, gray cat that appeared in the pool. Most of her fur was dry and started to smooth out again. But clumps of the wet fur still appeared near her spine.

Cinderkit pricked her ears when she heard paws padding towards her. She thought it was Hawkkit, so she prepared a sharp comment. Instead, she turned around and saw Dapplekit.

"I'm sorry." Dapplekit whispered. "I tried to convince him not to do it."

"It's not your fault. He was going to do it anyway." Cinderkit tried to sound cheerful even though she knew that it didn't get rid of the concerned look on her sister's face.

Cinderkit looked back at the pool. "They are right. I do look weird."

Dapplekit used her paw to smooth out the remaining clumps of spiked fur. "Look into the pool now."

Cinderkit looked down into the small pool. She did look better with her fur back in place.

"Not the way I see. I like your fur, even if it can look weird. You're my littermate and my best friend. That won't change anything. Come on. It's almost time for our apprentice ceremony."

Cinderkit gave a small smile and followed her littermate back to the snowy Meeting Hollow.

"Let every cat old enough to chase their their prey, Come to the Meeting Hollow for a Clan Meeting!" Dawnstar called out to all the cats in WindClan.


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Apprentice Ceremony.**

Dawnstar was on the Meeting Rock. Stonedust stood at the bottom of the huge rock. He looked at Cinderkit and Dapplekit with pride. Cinderkit straightened up and tried to ignore the sharp glare Hawkkit gave her.

Cinderkit felt the reassuring flank of her sister. She looked ahead, trying to block the memory of this morning out of her head.

Cinderkit and Dapplekit walked over to sit with their mother, Creeksong. She looked almost more proud than their father.

Dawnstar started speaking from the top of the Meeting Rock. "As every cat in this clan knows, this leafbare is the longest and hardest in clan history. There isn't enough prey to go around and there aren't enough warriors to protect the clan from dangers inside and outside WindClan's borders. Today, there are three kits old enough to help the clan in this harsh season. Hawkkit, Dapplekit, and Cinderkit. It's time for you three to learn what it means to be a true WindClan cat."

The clan cats yowled their approval. Dawnstar waited for every cat to calm down before continuing. "Hawkkit!"

Hawkkit stepped forward and looked up at Dawnstar.

"Hawkkit I was considering not giving you your apprentice name because of the pranks that you play on all your clanmates. But, I talked to your parents and they convinced me that you have waited long enough. So, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Hawkpaw. Barkfang, I trust you to train Hawkpaw and teach him to respect the Warrior Code and his fellow clanmates."

Barkfang walked up to his new apprentice and led him to the other side of the hollow to watch the rest of the ceremony.

"Dapplekit!" Dawnstar called out.

Cinderkit could see the excitement in her sister's eyes as her name was called. Dapplekit left her mother's side to stand in front of the Meeting Rock.

"Dapplekit. Your excitement and kindness shows that you will be an excellent apprentice. Until you have earned your warrior name, your name will be Dapplepaw. Owlclaw. You are a young warrior, but I know that you will be a great mentor for her."

Dapplepaw bounced around to her mentor. Her eyes sparked with excitement.

"Cinderkit!" Dawnstar said.

It was almost like Cinderkit's legs turned to stone as her name was called. She slowly walked up to the Meeting Rock. She looked up the clan leader.

"Cinderkit. The pranks that Hawkkit has played on you have made you scared and timid. But, I know that if you have confidence in yourself, you can become a warrior WindClan can be proud of. Until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Cinderpaw. Heatherfur, I know that you can be the mentor that Cinderpaw needs. Teach your apprentice how to trust herself and those around her."

"Cinderpaw! Hawkpaw! Dapplepaw! Cinderpaw! Hawkpaw! Dapplepaw!" The whole clan welcomed the three new apprentices. Every one congratulated them. Cinderpaw never felt so happy to have the clan's attention.

Heatherfur padded up to Cinderpaw. "Well, are you ready to see WindClan's territory for the first time?"

"Yes!" Cinderpaw said, feeling a spark of excitement as they walked toward the gorse tunnel.


	5. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The First step on the Moor**

Cinderpaw was glad that Hawkpaw had to stay behind. She didn't want to share this moment with him. The first time she sees WindClan's territory.

Dawnstar gave him his apprentice name, but she said that he had to stay in the camp and take care of the elders for a quarter moon. And if he played any pranks, he has to do it for another quarter moon.

Cinderpaw hoped that having to do chores will distract him from tricking everyone in the clan, but she knew that staying in the camp will just encourage him into doing what he does best.

Cinderpaw pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind as she followed Heatherfur out of the tunnel. Her eyes widened as she went from the already huge camp to the gigantic, snowy landscape that was in front of her.

Her mentor noticed that Cinderpaw's mouth wide open as she studied her new surroundings. "Well? What do you think of your home?"

"It's… It's so big! Is all this territory WindClan's?" Cinderpaw found her voice and said with complete surprise.

A purr rose from Heatherfur's throat. "Yes, all this land is ours. I was surprised to see it for the first time, as well."

Cinderpaw picked up faint pawsteps behind her, the sound dampened by the soft snow. She turned around and saw her litter sister and her mentor behind her. Cinderpaw was really excited to see the moor for the first time, but knowing Dapplepaw, she was probably five times more excited.

Sure enough, Dapplepaw couldn't keep still. Owlclaw had to almost sit on her to keep her from running off onto the snowy moor.

"Calm down! If you go running off, a fox might get you. They are starving as well. The moor isn't completely safe." He twitched his whiskers in amusement at Heatherfur and Cinderpaw.

"Alright." Dapplepaw sighed and Owlclaw got off of her back.

"Should we start by showing them the clan borders?" Heatherfur asked Owlclaw.

"Yes." Owlclaw nodded. "I think we should show them Thunderclan's border first."

"Alright. Let's go." Heatherfur and Owlclaw started running across the snowy hills.

Cinderpaw and Dapplepaw started ran after them, doing their best to keep up with the two warriors.


End file.
